Plane bursts in flames as it crashes into California highway

A small, twin-engine plane landed on the I-405 freeway at MacArthur Boulevard Friday morning, June 30, according to the California Highway Patrol Log.(Photo by OnScene)

A small, twin-engine plane crash-landed on the I-405 freeway during the tail-end of rush-hour Friday morning, June 30 – banging into the center divider, colliding with a car, scattering debris that at least three other vehicles couldn’t avoid and ultimately erupting in flames that charred the roadway.

The 55-year-old female passenger staggered out of the six-seat plane. The 62-year-old male pilot was pulled from the cockpit by an off-duty firefighter. Both had traumatic injuries, Orange County Fire Capt. Larry Kurtz said, and they were taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.